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Brown Pelicans land in the Gualala River, which is a hoot to watch. As graceful as they are in the air, they can be quite clumsy coming in for a river landing. Mike Reinhart was recently at the river when he saw this Brown Pelican taking quite a bath.

The freshwater of the river is perfect for getting each feather clean!

Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

Today is warm and rather muggy. Some clouds poured in this morning but all that remains are wispy clouds now.

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It’s that time of year when California Quail chicks can be seen, a charming sight indeed. John Batchelder wrote, “In the last couple of weeks Janice and I have started to see lots of  Quail moving though our yard in coveys with up to 14 chicks. They are very systematic about the way they move around, never staying anywhere long; parents very attentive and alert. Dads often on lookout up on top of a bush; mom tending the ‘kids’ that are usually kept between the parents. Mom appears to do most of the teaching, while dad is responsible for security…a real team. They’re fascinating to watch, and great entertainment!"

An interesting fact about Quail chicks is that they are hatched in an advanced state and able to feed themselves and move independently almost immediately. It’s called precocial.

Thanks to John for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

For the first day of August, foggy in places, sunny here in Anchor Bay, and breezy. Temps in the 70's.

 

 

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I love watching Ospreys fish, with their talons ready to grab one.  But in this case an ocean wave tossed this fish onto the sand and all the Osprey had to do was pick it up!

Ron wrote, "When the wave receded this fish must have offered itself to the Osprey. This was photographed on the bluff opposite Gualala Point Island."

Gualala Point Island is off the north end of The Sea Ranch. You can view it by the public access trail that begins at the southwest corner of Gualala Point Regional Park. There are lots of nesting seabirds on the island!

Thanks to Ron for a great photo and for allowing me to share it with you here.

Big fog bank over the ocean, and foggy in places. Sunny by mid-morning in Anchor Bay, temps in the mid 70's. Bonus sighting - two adult Gray Whales were seen yesterday in the approximate area the Blue Whale was seen the day before.

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The largest animal on Earth, a Blue Whale, cruised up the Mendonoma Coast Monday morning.  Shari was one of several of us notified about this whale. She went out to several choice locations and managed to get these long-distance photos.

Shari estimates the whale was about 1/2 mile out. It is rare for a Blue Whale to be so close to shore. You can read the details of this sighting in tomorrow's Independent Coast Observer. What? You don't subscribe? You can easily fix that at https://mendonoma.com/memberships.html

Thanks to Shari for allowing me to share her photos with you here!

Sunny and mild here in Anchor Bay. But there is a big fog bank lurking and keeping the temps mild.

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Several weeks ago Marva Jacobs wrote, “We had a very large Bear eating cherries, even though they are not ripe yet, at 7:45 am!   He first ripped open a hole in the plastic netting and sat under the tree eating the windfalls. Awesome and terrifying. A good six feet tall, standing on his hind legs, and probably 300 pounds!”

The average weight for an adult female  Black Bear is 175 pounds, and the average for an adult male is 400 pounds. Sure looks like a big male to me!

Black Bears are omnivores, which means they pretty much eat anything, including carrion. I know from experience that they love apples and huckleberries.

Thanks to Marva for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

Foggy this morning, blue skies appeared this afternoon. A big fog bank is lurking over the Pacific Ocean. It's been keeping us nice and cool as much of the country is under a heat dome.